The Aftermath (Darkness Rises)
by Etherithical
Summary: After the deaths of the other four Titans, Raven has lived in secrecy from Slade and the Brotherhood of Evil. But you can't stay hidden forever, even if you are the Daughter of Hell. ROBRAE
1. Chapter 1: The Meeting

Hello, everyone! This is my very first fanfic I am posting on ! Before We get into the book there are a few things you need to know. The first is that this book will be RobRae. If you don't like that, just don't read instead of reading and then hating on me. The second thing is that this book will be mainly on Raven's POV, later maybe a little bit of another character. The book might be quite slow for some of the chapters (I will try to still keep them exiting!) This book will involve the deaths of most of the Titans (If you've read the cover you'll know Raven is the only survivor). Who knows maybe there is yet ANOTHER surviving Titan as well… You can check me out on my youtube channel, where I post stuff about Teen Titans and maybe this fanfic! My youtube channel is Etherithical {Starflight}. Now, let's get on to the book!

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans

Prologue

Raven stared off the edge of the building, her eyes constantly flickering to escape routes across Jump City. Next to her stood Robin; the Boy Wonder was is a similar paranoid trance. He had reason to be. If what Starfire saw was correct, then they were in an enormous amount of danger.

She turned to the rebellion around her, most everyone's gaze covered in the determination that would help them get through the battle that was about to begin. There were some who opposed this, however. Beast Boy was one. His face was covered in horror, terrified of the idea that 2,000 armed robot commandos, Slade, and the Brotherhood of Evil were marching straight towards them.

Memories flashed in, memories of events that happened just weeks ago. When Slade had formed an alliance with the Brotherhood of Evil just after freeing them, the Titans had been concerned, but were sure everything could work out. That was before the Myriad of Doom (as they called themselves) took control of the entire government, and with that the continent. The villains had sent word to the Titans that they could either surrender and be sentenced to death, or fight back and… also die. Clearly the answer was quite simple.

After the message the Titans had gathered all of the honorary Titans to help them fight. The other heroes had gladly accepted. Robin had also tried to get the Justice League on their side, but Batman had responded with "It's your own fault for getting on the wrong side of the Myriad of Doom. You and your friends will perish and there's nothing you can do about it". Not quite the reaction you should receive from your adoptive father.

"They are coming!" Starfire cried, flying into the center of the rebellion. She had been scouting for the heroes, watching the villains near with her emerald green eyes. Raven covered her head with her hood, and looked back at the coming army. They were just barely visible in the distance. Her heart sank. She knew there was a large number of attackers, but seeing them from here…

"Robin, are you sure this is safe?" She questioned, walking up to his side. He stared at her for a long moment, expression unreadable behind his mask.

"What do you mean?" He asked raising an eyebrow. All eyes were on her now, prickling her skin uncomfortably.

"I mean," she muttered, slightly embarrassed,"do you think we'll survive? We've never lost before, but, their forces are unimaginably large against about 30 of us. What - what if we lose?"

The question hung in the air for a moment. No one wanted to accept it; it was too horrible to even think about… but it was true. The chances of everyone surviving this battle were very, very slim. Even if anyone survived his battle, it would be shocking.

"Titans," the Boy Wonder adressed. "It's time to move out."

Sorry this chapter is so short. I just needed a place where I could tell you what's happening, and therefore start the story. All other chapters will be longer.


	2. Chapter 2: The Battle

**Merry ALMOST Christmas, guys! This chapter will get quite a bit gory, so if you're sensitive to that kind of stuff, please don't read! I don't want to be the cause of someone having nightmares for 6 months (That happened to me once. It wasn't fun). This chapter will be longer, btw!**

"Split up and search the city," Robin growled, staring at all of his gathered friends. "If you need help contact me or one of the other Teen Titans. We may not all make it through this battle. I'm sorry if I've led you to your doom."

The heroes were standing in a clearing in between several building, the only noise being Robin's words. The area was desolate, devoid of people due to the evacuation of Jump City's citizens. It was quiet, and in a way seemed like the perfect place for the legendary battle that was soon to come.

There was a moment of silence, filled with a growing amount of surprise. Raven was shocked at her friend's words. _Splitting up will kill us!_ Her mind screamed. _We will never survive if we follow a stupid order like that!_

Raven opened her mouth to snap at his command with a retort, but Beast Boy got to that first. "Split up!?" He cried, stepping in front of the masked leader. "SPLIT UP!? If there's any way we'll die in this battle, that's how! What kind of idiot came up with that stupid idea?!"

The Boy Wonder stared at him for a long moment. "It's the only way, Beast Boy."

The green changeling growled deep within his throat. "Well, I'm not following-"

Robot Commandos and villains burst into the clearing, carrying ray guns, spears, and other sorts of weapons. The heroes separated, running off into different directions to fight for their lives, and everything else they stood for.

Raven hesitated. Was it wrong to disobey Robin's orders, even though they sounded stupid? Her actions would surely be disapproved by her teammates after the battle, if they ever survived, that was. _It's better to be safe than sorry,_ she thought to herself, before turning in the direction Robin had disappeared into.

Her breath caught in her throat as she finally saw what was happening in the battle. It was a bloodbath. Red liquid was splattered across the road, on peoples doorsteps, and on the unhinged, gleeful faces of villains as they struck down their enemies. Why, Raven had seen these people do terrible things but never, ever this.

 **CRASH!**

Raven tumbled to the floor as hands grasped her mouth. She let out a muffled scream as Kitten raised a knife right above her head. The weapon was stained with drops of red, marking that it had done harm to at least one other person before herself.

Her eyes glowed white as she prepared to cast a spell on the female villain. Kitten's eyes widened as she saw what was coming. The villain leaped to the side, but was not quick enough to avoid the blow. She was knocked to the wall of a building, and fell unconscious.

Raven's heart beat fast as she rubbed the blood off her face, which had dripped from the knife. She needed to get out of here; almost everyone else who had stayed in here instead of running off during the battle was dead. Avoiding Bumble Bee and Johnny rancid, who were facing off in hand to hand combat, she bolted in Robin's direction, desperate to find the Boy Wonder and tell him to call off his forces.

As she turned the corner of a building she saw Robin, who was fighting Mammoth about fifty feet away. While he was locked in combat he did not notice Slade, who was creeping up from behind. Raven opened her mouth to warn him, but was too late. The masked villain had grappled her friend to the ground, and was now dragging him struggling form away from her and through the melee.

"Robin!" Raven yelled, sprinting through the mass of people and towards her friend. _Don't kill him. Don't kill him! DON'T KILL HIM!_ She almost screamed at Slade. _It wouldn't be heard over the noise of the crowd anyway._ The only hope she had of saving him was to follow him and Slade through the battle, pray to not get killed, and ending Slade's life before he could do anything fatal.

"Hey! Where are you going?!" Someone hollered from behind her. She whirled around to see Killer Moth almost right behind her, raising a dagger to strike. Raven narrowly avoided it's sharp edge engraved in her back. The villain let out a grunt of surprise as he missed his attack, prior to preparing to lunge at her once again. Before he could do that, however, a bolt of black energy pushed him into several other villains, and Raven continued on her way.

After a few minutes of weaving in between heroes, villains, buildings, and the disgusting, blood filled corpses of both sides, Raven reached Slade and Robin, who were surrounded by the four first Brotherhood of Evil, the H.I.V.E. members, and about thirty Robot Commandos, apart from them, the other villains were about a hundred feet away.

"Hello, Robin," Slade hissed. The villain stared down at the Boy Wonder with what looked like pride, pride of the catch he had just made. "At this very moment your friends are dying, if they aren't dead already." Robin's face paled and his eyes widened through his mask. Deep within Raven felt the same sense of dread, like all the life had been suddenly sucked out of her. _They can't be dead,_ her mind buzzed. _They can't!_

"Don't worry," Slade whispered, leaning down next to the Boy Wonder. "Now it's your turn to join them."

Raven could barely process it when the knife in the villain's hand shot down and pierced Robin's leg. Time seemed to slow as blood shot out, dark red splattering over the stone pavement. The Boy Wonder let out a blood curdling scream, before he fell limp on the cold stone.

There was dead silence.

"NOOOOOOO!" Raven screamed, jumping down next to her friend's side. He was still alive, but barely. He would be dead in just minutes.

Tears dripped from her face as she touched his cheek, which was as soft as silk. His own blood fell from her fingers and onto his face. "No…" She whispered. "Don't die… Robin…"

She lifted her head and stared up at Slade, his look triumphant. He seemed to grin at her through his half-black, half-orange mask.

"Kill her."

Raven had no time to think prior to the H.I.V.E. students lunging at her almost in unison. She let out a yell of fear as a ray gun shot at the place she had been just seconds ago. Large hands reached to grab her, giving her barely enough time to dodge. Thinking fast, she bolted in between Mala and Madame Rouge and down a dark alleyway.

"AFTER HER!" Slade screeched from behind. "DON'T LET HER GET AWAY!" Footsteps sounded nearby, signifying that the H.I.V.E. students were coming. I need a plan, was the thing she had to focus on. Not the battle, not the blood, not Robin; there would be time for that later. Now she needed to focus on staying alive.

"ahhhAAAAHHH!"

Raven tripped on something and fell to the blood soaked stone, wincing as she hit her head. She turned to see what it was, and immediately felt sick to her stomach.

It was Beast Boy's torn and charred corpse.

He was definitely dead. With all the blood… there was no possibility that he could live through it. What a painful way to die, she thought sadly, shuddering.

Just then an idea sparked in her head, and idea that was crazy, stupid, an could easily fail, but it could just work.

 _What if I faked my death?_

The battle that was happening, it was so large that anyone could kill her, and easily. As long as the H.I.V.E. students didn't check her heartbeat (Which they probably wouldn't. They were quite arrogant and stupid), than maybe, just maybe, she could survive the battle.

Reluctantly, she dipped her hand in poor Beast Boy's blood and covered her body with it. The idea of wearing her friend's blood on her body was horrible, but it was the only way. After her body was covered in so much red she could barely see her gray skin, she curled up on the floor and pretended to be dead.

In just moments the H.I.V.E. students arrived, panting from the run. They took one look at her, before turning away with only an annoyed grunt and a: "I wish I could have been the one to kill her…"

Raven felt relief wash over her. She was safe, for now, and could even survive a few more days. As she layed on the dark red liquid she let the revelation of at least two of her friends' death wash over her. What really was the cost of her survival?

 **I'm sorry if I've killed off your favorite character. Btw after the next few chapter the book might get a little slow. It WILL get exciting again, as long as you guys stick with me through it. Thanks for reading this REALLY depressing chapter, and Merry Christmas!**


	3. Chapter 3: The spirits

**And I'm back! Yeah, the last chapter was pretty short. I mean, I write the drafts on google drive and on there they are double space, so what looks like six pages to me is actually two. Oh, well… OH! And I'll try to do better vocabulary, too!**

Chapter three:

Raven lied down on the stone pavement covered in gore, trying to keep her panting to a minimum. Her side throbbed with an intense pain, as if she was being stabbed in the same spot five hundred times. Inside, though, the pain was much more visible, sparking with the terrible emotion known as sorrow.

Nearby screams echoed across the buildings. The battle was still ragging, ending the lives of more innocent victims. Someone had tried to light a fire two hours ago, the flames ravaging one fourth of what once was Jump City. The fighting had moved to another side of town after that, far enough away where she could escape safely, but it was too risky. If someone saw her… No, that wouldn't happen. Even if she had to lie here for three hours, she couldn't let the villains discover her existence.

Raven moved her hand closer to Beast Boy's corpse, feeling his own sticky palm in her fingers. On several occasions she had nearly begun to cry again, which would have been fatal. His eyes were so blanc, his skin so torn she wouldn't have been surprised if a giant wolf had been the one to rip his life out. She squeezed his hand, as if to reassure herself that he was alive and would leap to his feet any second and cry: "Oh! You really do care for me!"

In the distance, someone let out a blood curdling scream, followed by several cheers. It sounded female, it might have been Bumble Bee, or Jinx, or Starfire. Raven shut her eyes tightly. If it was any one of them (She would be the most devastated if Starfire had died, though wouldn't admit it), then yet another of her friends would have left to join the void.

 _I defeated Trigon, just to suffer from this? Why, why me? Why them? Why us?_

"You killed them!" Shouted a voice that sounded surprisingly like Cyborg. "You killed all of my friends! You murderers!"

"And now you can join them."

A scream, cries of joy. All of it made her wince. Had Cyborg just died as well? Was another one of her friends gone forever?

A horn sounded all around, it's noise would normally have been majestic, but now it signified something that would haunt her actions and memories for eternity. The battle was over, and now everyone she loved, all the heroes who had fought in the battle, were dead.

 _I might be the only survivor._

 _Me._

 _Why can't it be someone else?_

Raven waited for a few more minutes, listening as the footsteps of evil disappeared. Where were they going? She did not know, but had to find out.

She got to her feet, feeling them ache with the pain of lying in such an uncomfortable position for so long. Blood that had hung to her hair, her cloak, and her arms splattered onto the stone. She still dripped with red, but it felt less of a burden. She already had a burden to carry.

Keeping quiet, she moved towards the side of a building, the restaurant where she and her friends used to get pizza. The memories rushed in, memories that should of been daydreams were now curses. Robin, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Starfire… She was sure her Tamaranian friend was also dead; Slade wouldn't of sounded the horn unless he had received word of her death too. That was, unless she had faked her death too. That was unlikely, it was surprising enough that Raven was alive, if Starfire had survived too it would be a miracle. Raven didn't believe in miracles; there were things that could happen depending on the magic or technology, and others that were too imaginary to be true.

She stalked through the shadows for a while, moving towards the cries of victory that came from the evil she would most likely hate forever. This was Slade's fault, his and the Myriad of Doom's. They were all murderers, deranged murderers who knew nothing but a lust for blood. She hoped they would die, that their lives would end in the most brutal way possible.

As the villains came into view, Raven teleported to the top of a three story apartment building and flattened herself against the roof. On it was a small three foot wall she could hide against. Luckily, no one would see her from here.

"Today will be remembered for all of eternity!" Slade spoke to the crowd of his evil allies. "Today is the day the Titans have died,and we will dance over their graves!"

Cheers. "You said it!" Someone shouted from the crowd, several screams following.

"Today, a dynasty has been created from what once was a wretched country filled with those idiot Titans," the villain continued. "Today will forever be our greatest victory, and will be celebrated for generations. Why, even the Justice League believes in us! They no we will not bring pain to the world, but peace!"

Raven seriously doubted that, but continued to listen with intensity.

"You see, the real evil in the world are the Titans," Slade growled, his voice suddenly filled with a growing loathing. "They have done much worse to the world than we have! They have tried to kill each other, they have betrayed each other. They have stolen, murdered, and done other evil to us and everyone else. One of their own tried to commit the genocide to the entire human race!"

Raven winced, knowing that he was hinting her crimes to his followers. _I was forced to!_ She wanted to scream. _Do you think I wanted to murder everyone in the entire globe? You were the one to force me to do it! It's not my fault, it's yours!_

Right now she was definitely seeing a part of Slade she had never seen before, this hateful part, more hateful than she had ever seen in him. At the moment she was almost tempted to fly down there right now, rip open his stomach in front of the crowd, and avenge the deaths of her friends.

"Bring the captives out," the villain snarled. Mala dipped his head, before heading into a building. The crowd waited for a few minutes, until the giant ape dragged out the squirming forms of Kilowatt, Kid Flash, Bumble Bee, and Starfire. Around their wrists were magic proof cuffs, around their mouths were cloths used as gags. Raven felt sick. Even if she did try to help her friends right now, the cuffs would stop her from using any magic on anyone in a twenty foot radius.

"This is for anyone who lies to us," Slade stabbed Kilowatt in the back.

"This is for anyone who disobeys us," he ripped of Kid Flash's arm with his bare hands.

"This is for anyone who creates rebellion against us," he stabbed Bumble Bee in the head.

"And this is for any survivors who may be hiding from us." As he snapped Starfire's neck, he seemed to stare right where Raven watched. She must have imagined it, because he looked away a second later. Either way, she couldn't help but feel a sense of horror at the idea that Slade could of just discovered the fact that she was alive.

"Come on!" Slade addressed, acting as if he had never just killed four people. "Let's go burn down the Tower!"

 _No…_ Losing her home wasn't as bad as losing her friends, but she had expected to live quietly in the Titans Tower after the battle. It was her last memory of her friends, who she would never see again.

 _It will take them a few minutes to get there,_ she told herself. _I still have time to gather some of my belongings._

Raven teleported inside her room in a flash of black. Without hesitation she grabbed several clothes, a few pictures of the other Titans she had kept secretly under her bed, and the first spellbook she could find. She rubbed tears mixed with blood from her eyes, and then sent herself to a group of bushes on the tower island, where she could watch as Slade and his army destroyed her home.

The villains arrived shortly, each carrying flaming torches and random sticks found in the city. One by one they threw them at the tower, sparking fire from within. They continued to do this until the Tower shone with orange, red, and yellow. The glass windows were melted, everything inside a torrent of ravenous flames.

The Myriad of Doom watched as her home burnt and shone with flame, a few began to pass hors d'oeuvres to each other. As hungry as she was, she couldn't thirst for any of it.

 _I can't let them stay,_ she told herself, letting a hatred burn inside of her. _This doesn't belong to them. None of this belongs to them. They're taking it anyways. They don't deserve it. All they deserve is death._

As the villains celebrated, Raven stepped out of the bushes and gathered her energy. Black colored magic formed orbs around her fists, a grayish flame smoking from them. Her eyes glowed white, not bright enough to spark a reaction from the murderers nearby, but noticeable from five feet away. In seconds she was gone, teleporting back to the abandoned city.

The first place she went to was Beast Boy's death bed, his corpse as ragged and charred as always. With a reluctant grimace, she touched his blood covered chest. Black spread at the impact, twisting and turning in spiraling patterns. Then a transparent form of her friend rose from his heart.

The ghost like form of a magic created Beast Boy rose into the air, all the wounds from before. His skin sparkled with stardust and his eyes shone pure white. He blinked at her slowly, and he smiled his fanged teeth. The spirit Beast Boy touched her shoulder, as if to comfort her feelings. Raven struggled not to let tears fall from her face.

She turned in the direction where Starfire had died, and the ghost Beast Boy followed without hesitation. They reached the bloody corpses in minutes, and Raven used the same spell to create a spirit Starfire. Next was Cyborg.

Even seeing her friends again, she did not feel the same kind of love she did before. These were not actual ghosts, only magical hologram like creations. No, they were not really here. Finally, she reached Robin's grave, and was shocked at what she saw.

His body wasn't there.

Raven turned in circles frantically,trying to find the body of her long lost friend. He was nowhere in sight. _Well, he couldn't have just walked away,_ she thought to herself. _Someone must have taken his body somewhere. Maybe one of the villains; I have no idea what they would need with a corpse, but whatever it is, Robin couldn't have left himself._

She was about to leave, before something shone at the corner of her vision. Raven whirled around. There, ten feet away, was Robin's utility belt, stained with red. She picked it up and cupped it in her hands. This was her last memory of the Boy Wonder, which she would treasure for as long as she lived.

With a sigh, Raven turned to the three spirits. "Go," she whispered. "Scare the villains. Chase them away from this place. Make them too afraid to ever return to this wretched battle field. Above all else, avenge the deaths of my friends."

The three spirits nodded, and then swooped off to the island. Raven teleported back to her hiding spot in the clump of bushes, sitting in the best spot to watch the villains celebrate.

The first one to see the three spirits was Gizmo, who was speaking with Mad Mod and Madame Rouge. At the sight of the ghosts his eyes widened, before he let out a terrified scream. Heads turned in his direction, and suddenly everyone saw her creation.

It was chaos.

Even Slade looked afraid, his eye flickering to each Titan. Then, without a second thought, he clambered into a plane that sat nearby, with many others following. The plane took off, leaving dust where she sat.

Raven took a final look at the damage to her home and the ghosts of her friends, and then crumpled to the earth, and cried.

 **So, what do you think? The next few chapters will have less action and be more depressing, so be prepared for that. Oh! And merry Christmas! (I said that in the last chapter too)**


	4. Chapter 4: The nightmares

**Exciting news, guys! I have started writing chapters in my notebook first, so hopefully they'll be a bit longer! So far I've written chapters up to seven, but my family is strict on computer time AND I have a youtube channel to run. Whenever I have free time at school I'll try to work on this, but chapters might take a bit of time to complete. Hope you guys understand! =D**

Raven stepped through the ashes of the battle, breathing hard. It had been an hour since the villains had escaped from the fake ghosts and into the dark domain that was the rest of the United States. If her wishes were granted, none of them would return to this barren place, and she would lie near the long lost bodies of her friends forever.

Raven stared at Robin's utility belt for a long moment, the blood that was on it dripping onto her fingers. It had to be the Boy Wonder's blood that was there the Boy Wonder's blood that would dry up and stain for an eternity. His soul was hidden within, trapped, trying to break out and run free, but unable to. It never would be able to do so, now that Robin was dead.

She stroked it's golden edge softly, shutting her eyes and letting tears fall from them. The Titans were dead, she was the last one, the only survivor of the thrice cursed battle. She could never be discovered, or there would be hell to pay.

Raven reached the area where Beast Boy had died, letting out a deep breath. His corpse was still there, burned and bloodied as ever. His blank eyes stared into nothingness, the green slightly faded within. Next to him were two foxes, their teeth digging into the flesh of his body. Blood pooled from their jaws as they ate.

Raven felt anger surge inside her as she watched the creatures eat. Beast Boy did not deserve to be the food of some wild animals. They had not yet noticed her, instead munching happily on her lost friend. Her eyes glowed white and around her fist black orbs formed. The magic created a crackling noise, turning the heads of the animals.

The two foxes leaped back in terror, their eyes widening as they saw the angered half-demon. One turned tail and fled down the dark alleys while the other was more reluctant to do so, instead remaining beside Beast Boy. It let out a little whimper as she stepped forward, but did not budge.

With barely any effort, Raven let her ink colored magic flow out of her hands and around the animal, and mercilessly she broke its neck. The fox fell onto the floor, its mouth hung open helplessly. She did not care. No animal would ever feed on her friend.

She kicked the fox's body to the side and moved up to the green changeling. Raven lifted her head to the sky.

"You didn't deserve to die!" She screamed, not caring to be quiet. "They are murderers! Traitors! I hope they die more painfully than you did!" She spit the last words out of her mouth like they were dirty water.

She lifted Beast Boy's body into the air carefully, using her powers to steady him so he would not fall. She knew she would not have the time to bury all the bodies before they decayed (The massacre had killed so many, even with her powers it would be a miracle to clean up the entire city). As she walked through the battle stained land she too sight of what had happened to it.

Everywhere she looked was blood; splotches of blood on the pavement, torn flesh in a corner, red in all directions. The sight was horribly disturbing. Corpses were less visible than the blood, but still plentiful. Raven had nearly screamed when she had almost tripped on Kid Flash's missing arm, the stump ripped with flesh. Almost half of the buildings were burnt, covered with shattered windows and ash filled stone. Smoke still rose from many, and she could just barely see a fire that was ravaging a skyscraper a few blocks away. Blood leaked into the ocean at the edge of Jump City, turning blue murky red. In the distance smoke rose from the black Titans tower, one of its sides crumpled into the water.

Raven reached an area of the city that didn't have any marks of the battle, and let out a sigh of relief that she no longer had to see blood. Next to one building (The bookstore she had started going to after the old one had been destroyed when returning home from the battle with the Brotherhood of Evil) was a long stretch of dirt shrouded by trees. This was the park, surprisingly undamaged even with a fire nearby and filled with flammable trees and plants. This would be where she would bury the three bodies of the titans and Robin's utility belt (To represent Robin). She let Beast Boy's body lie on the side of a tree, and left to collect the other bodies.

Starfire and Cyborg's bodies were easy to find as she had visited them before. Luckily, their corpses were covered in less of the dark red blood that covered everything else, but she could hardly think brightly about that now. As she laid the three Titans together she couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of her eyes. Their faces were so… inhuman, eyes blank and overflowing with the sense of death. She laid Robin's utility belt next to them. _You need to control your emotions,_ one side of her mind hissed, but she hardly cared. How could she care when everything she loved had been ripped from her life and sent to the void, never to be seen again?

Raven walked a few feet away and found the perfect piece of metal that could be used as a shovel. Without use of her powers, she dug three large holes and one small one, side by side. It was long, strenuous work, and took nearly two full days to complete. Other than sleeping and looking for food and water (She found little, only black berries from a bush in the park and water from a water fountain in the book store) she dug the pits. She slowly lowered each body inside a hole as well as the belt, and then re-covered the holes in dirt, leaving four mounds remaining where they were set.

She yawned, tired from digging and the events that had just taken place. She needed sleep dearly, it was almost vital. She turned toward a group of unburnt houses next to the park, and headed to one made of yellow wood. Inside was a comfy little home with olive green couches and tan carpets. On one couch was a white blanket with red rhombuses and a blue pillow. Around the room were pictures of a family: a mother, a father, two sons, and a daughter. Her vision began to blur, she definitely needed to rest.

Feeling too tired to find a bed Raven curled up on the couch, wrapped the blanket around her torso, and fell asleep.

 _The first thing she noticed when she woke were the screams. Cries of terror echoed everywhere, screeches of rage just five steps away. The noise was overwhelming, she clutched her ears and crumpled to the floor, shutting her eyes lightly as if to block out the noise. It did not._

 _Someone yelled nearby, and Raven opened her eyes to see a man who looked about forty years old tumble in front of her, blood spilling from a wound in his head. He gazed at her helplessly, just as a figure shrouded by shadows stabbed him in the chest._

 _As Raven stared at the dead man in shock she did not notice the figure standing behind her, one eye gazing down at her with a growing suspicion. A hand grabbed for her hood, and the half-demon let out a shrill cry of terror. She was lifted into the air, kicking and punching, but only hitting open air. In moments she was face to face with none other than Slade._

 _Raven's eyes widened as she faced off with the one eyed villain who had murdered her friends. They looked at each other for a long time, and then the deranged man let out a horrible, evil laugh, before throwing her into the wall._

 _A crack sounded at the impact, and she knew several of her bones were broken. She screamed at the pain that erupted through her body, her bones shrieking with intensity. She tried to get up but couldn't._

 _The door to the house opened and in walked Mala (carrying the Brain), Madame Rouge, General Immortus, and Brother Blood. On their faces were maniacal, unhinged grins that grew at the sight of her. Their eyes were twitching constantly. Black liquid dripped from their mouths and onto the floor. Raven screamed again as the five villains pulled out twisted daggers. Their mouths opened in unison, and as they lifted their heads their eyes shone pure white._

 _"The gem was born of evil's fire," their voices rasped. "The gem shall be his portal." Raven shut her eyes. The villains were reciting the prophecy, one of her worst fears. She had hoped to never hear it again, but of course it was a false hope._

 _"He comes to claim, he comes to sire," the villains continued. "The end of all things mortal." After the last word their eyes turned back to normal, and their gazes pierced her, looking as if nothing happened._

 _Slade stepped forward so he was right in front of her, his dagger shining in the moonlight from out the window._

 _"I've f-found y-you!" The voice that came out certainly wasn't Slade's, it was very high pitched and came out in parts. A shadow seemed to appear behind him, pulverising all the light. Raven knew what was going to happen right when the villain raise his wicked dagger. In one swift motion he stabbed it into her chest. She screamed._

"AHHHhhhhh!"

Raven awoke with a start. She bolted upright on the couch, breathing hard. _It was just a nightmare,_ she tried to tell herself. _Slade is not here. His hell spawned soul will never lay a finger on me again. I am safe._

She breathed in a sigh of relief, then looked out the window. The sun was rising, signifying that a new day had arrived. Though her sleep had not been perfect, she was still grateful for it.

Raven stretched and pulled of the covers from the couch. Out of instinct her eyes flickered around the room carefully, looking for danger. Lucky for her, there was none.

 _Okay, step one,_ she thought to herself. _This part of town is undamaged, and I think I saw a store nearby. If I'm lucky I'll be able to find some food and maybe a toothbrush._

She stepped out of the house slowly, looking out at the park. Seeing her surroundings she was glad to spot a group of stores, among them a supermarket and a gas station.

Without hesitation she turned and headed toward the buildings, letting the cool wind blow through her hair. On her path she avoided her friends' graves; it would take a little while to adapt to the deaths of the other Titans, and even if they still might sadden her, in the future she could possibly live peacefully. It was her hope for now, at least.

Raven swung open the door to the supermarket, and immediately smelt something that was different than blood. Smelling the food reminded her of how hungry she was. _After a while most of this food will go bad,_ she noticed. _When it does I'll either have to go and find another supply where the food isn't spoiled, or I'll have to leave Jump City. Both of those options are either quite challenging, or I am very reluctant to act on them. I must be thankful that this wasn't destroyed while it lasts._

Thinking carefully of everything she saw, she walked down the rows and grabbed everything that somewhat delighted her. She set it all in a shopping cart, and then went to the gas station where she got a toothbrush and an interesting magazine. With that off the checklist, she headed back to her house and began to set the food in the refrigerator.

Raven snapped the door shut as she finished, right before taking an apple out to eat. She was especially glad to have it after the battle. She attached some of the pictures of the Titans onto the refrigerator with magnets, pausing on the last one. It was a picture of all five Titans hugging each other on the couch. Most of the Titans were smiling, their faces filled with pure joy… except her. The Raven on the picture was annoyed, she looked like she was rolling her eyes. _Did I show my friends how much I truly appreciated them before they died?_ She worried. _I know I have to act this way to control my emotions, but would I have acted nicer to my friends if I'd have known they would die so soon? Maybe I wasn't kind enough, didn't spend enough time with them. Instead I was locked away in my room, not socializing with lives that would soon be lost. I wasn't a good enough friend._

Slowly and sadly, she clipped the picture onto a magnet and left to fetch a new pair of clothes.

 _I need to take care of myself right now,_ her mind whispered. _No one else will._

Raven began to explore the house, looking in every nook and cranny. Next to the living room on the right was the dining room, which in turn connected straight to the kitchen, which led at an 180 degree angle to a very messy and dark basement. Also connected to the living room was two doors that led straight, one opened to reveal a staircase.

Upstairs was a long and curved bedroom with three beds. Toys for young children littered the floor, and on several occasions she had stepped on painfully small lego pieces. The other door had a closet on its right, a bedroom to its left, and a bathroom straight. She set her toothbrush in a cup on the sink and her clothes in a basket to its left. _Hopefully this house will provide the same for me as it had for its original family, she prayed._

The day passed quickly now that she had things to do, and even though her heart was filled with deep sorrow she couldn't help but enjoy it. Cooking was probably the worst part of her day; she had almost burnt the pizza due to her lack of knowledge on anything involving food. Cyborg would have scolded her for hours if he was still there. She had eaten in silence, burning a candle on the wooden table for comfort. The sky was beginning to go dark, and quickly if she could say so herself.

After super she assumed her lotus position and began to chant her mantra, letting herself levitate into the air. She felt a peace enter her mind as she meditated, the peace she loved and could enjoy.

 _Maybe-maybe I can enjoy this,_ she thought to herself, getting back to her feet after meditation. _Maybe I can be happy, even after losing everything. I can't let this trauma consume my life, no matter what. It's my world now, my destiny. Slade will never harm me again, whatever he tries to do. He received more than he deserved, the least he can do is let me free._

She went to sleep at 9pm,and the dreams came in like a torrent once again.

 _"Are you afraid?" Slade called from every direction. Raven tumbled through the city, the area darkening all around her. Her eyes were wide with fear, teeth clenched as she fought her way through the shadows._

 _He's here!_

 _He's here!_

 _He's here!_

 _Her stomach twisted in terror as a figure lunged at her from the shadows. She rolled to the side, barely avoiding a kick to the chest. Her pursuer grunted, then turned and followed her from behind._

 _Blood seemed to be everywhere, dripping from the walls, onto the pavement. Inhuman screeches sounded everywhere, like demons of the shadows. She heard footsteps from behind her; the figure was gaining space, and soon it would be able to grab her._

 _Raven grunted as her leg slid against a sharp piece of metal, resulting in a cut that began to ooze blood. She stumbled at the impact, and her pursuer used it to their advantage and lunged. Claws raked against her left arm and she was flung to the side. She clutched her arm, wincing as her wound bled. The figure grew nearer, it had a wolf-like body with large, muscular forelegs and smaller back legs. It was covered in black fur, and its eyes were pure white. Jagged teeth sprung from its mouth. One of its front claws was covered in blood. Her blood._

 _The alien creature raised its head to the moonlight and let out a wail. Then it lunged at her, its fangs digging into the flesh of her torso. Raven gasped as her vision began to fade._

And then she woke up.

Raven groaned, holding a hand to her head. That was the second nightmare in a row, most likely the result of her terror from the battle. If this pattern continued, she would never sleep well.

It was still night, shadows seeping through the window. Outside stars twinkled in the night sky, and the moon shone like a pale orb in the dark. She rubbed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the night. One of the windows was cracked; she could hear so much. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted, and wait… Was that footsteps?

Thump, thump, thump.

Yes, someone was here, and definitely nearby. By the sound of it, it was probably a few people. _The best thing I can do is stay silent,_ she admonished herself. _If I pretend I'm not here, no one will know I exist, and I won't have to kill anybody. She curled up under the covers and closed her eyes. Now that she was listening, she could hear voices clearly._

"I almost feel bad for those Titans, you know," came a voice that was obviously male. "Looking at all the blood covering Jump City, you can tell their fate wasn't a good one. I feel bad for their friends, too."

"They died so young," came another voice, this time a girl. She sounded haughty and snobbish. "Too bad Slade and his Myriad of Doom didn't kill the Justice League, too. Everything would be so much easier, than."

A third person growled, one with authority, if she guessed correctly. "If the Titans hadn't died we wouldn't be able to rob Jump City with this much ease, Jack," scolded the man. "After we're finished we'll be rich. Besides, don't you want them dead?"

The man named Jack hesitated. "I suppose," he grunted. "But like Marla said, they died too young. You can't disagree with that, Greg."

Greg snarled. "You're too soft. Let's start with that yellow house over there."

Raven's stomach tightened. The robbers were going to break into her house! Fear rushed into her veins as she noticed that teleporting out would spark enough light to reveal her presence (Not to mention her magic was unique and recognizable to almost anyone), and moving elsewhere in the house would also be visible.

Time seemed to slow as the door knob turned.

 **Aha! I ended it on a cliffhanger! Know you'll have to wait about two weeks for the next chapter! I'm such a mean person, am I right? Thanks for reading!**


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